


I want it all, I want it all (to spend the whole night curiously searching)

by HotFuckingMess (moonchild734)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Blood and Gore, But only a bit, Fox Spirit, Gen, Minor Violence, Panic Attacks, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Were-Creatures, Wu Yi Fan | Kris-centric, but its very vague and not explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:27:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27294919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonchild734/pseuds/HotFuckingMess
Summary: Prompt# L211A twig snapped in front of him.He paused, entire body tensing when he heard the heavy footfalls of something come towards him. Yifan darted his eyes towards the trees, straining to see whatever was coming closer. But the sun was quickly going down, and all he could see were shadows surrounding his house. He swallowed.‘It just had to be today, right?’ His breaths came out faster and he could feel the skin around his hands go numb from how hard he was gripping the bags in his arms. His lower stomach tingled and he felt restless--like he needed to get away as fast as he could. ‘I’m only a few steps away. Even though my bags are heavy, I can still probably make it in time-’He let out a small scream when a dark grey blur shot out from the forest. Yifan didn’t think--he didn’t have time to think--and he dropped to the ground.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen/Wu Yi Fan | Kris/ Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Jongdae | Chen & Kim Minseok | Xiumin & Byun Baekhyun, Kim Minseok | Xiumin & Wu Yi Fan | Kris
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13
Collections: EXO MONSTERFEST 2020





	I want it all, I want it all (to spend the whole night curiously searching)

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from [After Midnight](https://youtu.be/dWoVZP99jBY) by WayV
> 
> Rated E only to be safe and please let me know if I need to add more tags ! I tried my best but I'm only human

_"You're sure it's no problem?"_

"I'm sure. You know I love animals and I would be happy to take care of your fox for the month. S'not like he'll bite, right?" Yifan was only half-joking with his question.

" _No, he's well trained. Shouldn't cause you too much trouble._ " Xiūmin sounded amused and Yifan had to wonder if that was directed towards him or not. While Xiūmin wouldn't put him in harm's way, he wasn't above playing harmless pranks. _'Hopefully, I'll be prepared_ .' He thought with a small smile. While it was never _fun_ to be on the receiving end, seeing Xiūmin's grin when he inevitably fell for whatever prank he did was worth the mild embarrassment.

"That's good to hear, at least." He laughed a little as he held the phone to his ear with his shoulder. One hand was holding a piece of bread while the other used a knife to spread jelly on the same slice. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich wasn't exactly the _best_ of meals for breakfast, but he didn't exactly have much in his fridge right now.

Going into town had always been an uncomfortable experience, with all the staring and pointed whispers, so he avoided it whenever possible. Which meant not going shopping until he literally only had one or two things he could actually eat inside his home. _'Yeah, definitely gotta hit up the grocery store after this._ ' His shoulders slumped as he tossed both jars into the trash. He was out of everything but a few slices of bread now.

" _You're a lifesaver, FanFan._ " He smiled a little at the relief he could hear in his friend's voice. He didn't exactly know what kinda trip Xiūmin was going on, and it wasn't like he was well versed in taking care of a fox, but if it would bring peace of mind to his closest (and only) friend he'd do it in a heartbeat.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Minnie." He immediately took a huge bite out of his sandwich to try and distract himself from the embarrassment coloring his face as Xiūmin made cooing noises over the phone. _'He always does that when I say stuff that...emotional. Makes me feel like a kid again._ '

Xiūmin had been a steadying presence all throughout college, and had helped his anxiety when he moved to the small town he resided in. Whether that meant having sleepovers, or talking him through his panic attacks over the phone. He had been there for him when no one else had, so the _least_ he could do was pet sit.

" _Aww, thank you FanFan! You know I'm the same way for you_ ." Yifan hummed, trying to sound composed, but the noise was weak to his ears. He was annoyingly _easy_ to fluster and it was one of the things he hated about himself.

"So! Does, uh, your fox need anything? Food, toys, stuff like that?"

" _Ah, no you don't have to worry about that. I'll make sure to bring everything he could need over myself_."

"That'd be great. Not that I wouldn't have spent money myself, but you know how things are now. Not exactly made of money myself."

" _What about your commissions?"_

"Yeah, I mean I'm still getting them. But some of these customers are...real demanding and I'm kinda over their attitudes. Took a break and closed shop a few days ago." He heard the small surprised noise over the phone and rushed to explain.

"I'm not gonna go broke anytime soon, and I finished the projects I worked on before closing up. I just, y'know, wanna save." He took another bite of his sandwich when silence met him over the phone. He wasn't nervous, exactly, but he hated worrying Xiūmin about his situation. He wasn't poor and he wouldn't run out of money for awhile, he was just a cheapskate and hated spending more money than he had to.

_"If you need to rest FanFan, I don't think taking on Baëkhyun will-"_

"I'm fine, okay? Pinky promise. I just don't wanna deal with people right now. Animals though? Yes _please_ . They're so much easier to deal with, I swear." He huffed a little when he heard Xiūmin laugh, but let out a quiet sigh of relief when he didn't press anymore. Truly, he was looking forward to seeing the fox coming to stay with him. _'Baëkhyun, Xiūmin said. Kinda foreign sounding, but nice_.'

He loved, loved, _loved_ animals and if he wasn't a freelance artist, he probably would've chosen to be some sort of veterinarian or animal researcher. Animals had always been a sort of constant in his life, from his childhood, through his college years--they had been a comfort to him when he needed to retreat from the outside world. 

One of his childhood neighbors had a cute orange tabby named Peaches who adored spending time with him. His grandparents had a tortoise named Bruce who, while cranky sometimes, didn't mind it when Yifan played with him. One of his roommates had a Pomeranian that he snuck into the dorms, a loud fucker that they called Yappy who somehow was _never_ found no matter how hard their RA tried to look for her. And Xiūmin had always had a supply of animals that he let Yifan play with, due to his work in the pet sitting business.

So moving to bumfuck nowhere and hiding in the mountains like a hermit had severely separated him from the security playing with animals brought him. Sure, there were birds and squirrels that found their way in from a cracked window (as well as the occasional raccoon that somehow _always_ ended up in his bathroom tub) but they scattered before he could get too close. While it was a fox he was being asked to take care of, and he may get bitten or scratched, it was the first animal he could be close with in _years_. There was no way he'd let an opportunity like that go to waste, even if he wasn’t exactly sure how to take care of a fox.

" _If you're sure…_ " He trailed off, and it was quiet for a few beats before he spoke up again.

" _I'm packing up my stuff right now, so I'll probably be heading out to you in a bit. I'll drop off Baëkhyun tomorrow...afternoon? If traffic isn't too bad_ ." Yifan swallowed down a few more bites of his sandwich, glancing around the messy clutter around his living room. He would have to pick up a bit before he went out. Bringing home groceries to a dirty house never sat right with him, and if he didn't do it now, he'd just stress over it later while at the store. _'What a pain_ .' He held back a sigh and finished the rest of his sandwich. Man, his brain could be _so_ irritating.

"Alright, just let me know when you're close." 

" _Can do!_ "

**~~~~~~~**

He shifted the bags in his arms, grunting when one of the cans in his book bag dug into his back. 

“Great. More annoyances.” Yifan sighed, sneezing into his scarf when a particularly harsh wind blew across his face. It wasn’t quite winter yet--around late October--but it was still cold. Freezing cold, even, since he lived pretty high up on the mountains. And while the view from his home was great, the cold was _not_.

“S’not like I hate the cold. It’s just...so much worse around this time of year.” He mumbled, burying his chin into the folds of his scarf as he carefully walked over a fallen log. Traversing the mountain had grown easier each year that passed, but the bags he carried still made it a challenge. Especially since he might have gone a little... _overboard_ when getting food and supplies.

His bag was filled to the brim with cans, bottles and other heavy foodstuffs. One bag in his arms was filled with bread and eggs while the second contained more toothpaste, garbage bags, dish soap, body wash, green scrubbies, etc. Yifan had made sure he was more than stocked up not only for his new roommate for a month, but for the duration of his hiatus. ‘ _Even if Minnie said he had everything...it doesn’t hurt to be prepared._ ’ He paused and readjusted the bags in his hands before continuing his journey. He was beginning to recognize the familiar pathway to his home, so he knew it’d only be a few minutes longer before he’d be back in his warm, cozy little house.

Wind blew through the air and the trees swayed along with it, leaves rustling as the chirps of crickets and the hoots of owls echoed out around him. He relaxed a little more, enjoying the sounds of nature as he grew closer and closer to his destination. Yifan found himself moving faster once he could make out the outline of his little cabin. He smiled just thinking about wrapping himself up in the soft fleece he just bought, settling down next to the fireplace with a cup of chai tea and opening his laptop to watch an episode of one of his favorite anime--

A twig snapped in front of him.

He paused, entire body tensing when he heard the heavy footfalls of something come towards him, something _big_. He could see the glow of the lamp he kept near his door, and he was close enough that he could make out the worn felt ‘Welcome’ sign Xiūmin had placed there as a joke when he first moved in. Yifan darted his eyes towards the trees, straining to see whatever was coming closer. But the sun was quickly going down, and all he could see were shadows surrounding his house. He swallowed.

It wasn’t the first time he had heard something stomp around this area. Recently, there had been late night howls and sounds of battle echoing out from the woods. He had chalked it up to bears or something close to that at first, but he had stumbled across some paw prints the other day that proved that assumption wrong. They were wolf prints, fucking _huge_ wolf prints--larger than his palm and sunken deep, deep into the mud. So he knew there was something dangerous lurking around the area, something _scary_. He just hoped that it would leave him alone since there was more than enough prey running through the mountain to feed a huge wolf.

 _‘It just had to be today, right?_ ’ His breaths came out faster and he could feel the skin around his hands go numb from how hard he was gripping the bags in his arms. His lower stomach tingled and he felt restless--like he needed to get away as fast as he could. _‘I’m only a few steps away. Even though my bags are heavy, I can still probably make it in time-’_

He let out a small scream when a dark grey blur shot out from the forest. Yifan didn’t think--he didn’t have _time_ to think--and he dropped to the ground. The bag holding his bread and eggs landed with a loud ‘squelch’ and a part of him mourned the loss before it was drowned out by the need to _run_. 

Yifan flailed a little and stumbled to his feet, booking it as fast as he could towards his door. He had dropped the other bag in his hand but somehow managed to hold onto his bookbag. His fingers had just barely scraped the handle when something snagged his ankle and _yanked_. His fingernails dragged along the dark wood as he scrambled to pull himself away, but whatever had grabbed him was too strong and all he managed to do was leave marks near the handle of his door.

Yifan grunted once he hit the ground, wildly kicking his feet out to try and shake loose whatever the _fuck_ caught his ankle. Whatever had caught him made a noise of pain and let go, and he used the opportunity to get to his feet and once again make it to his door. But he wasn’t fast enough and before he could take another step, something big had lept on top of him. 

The wind was knocked out of him and he saw dark spots float across his vision. He tried to take in a breath, but he found himself struggling when the thing applied more pressure to his back. Yifan wheezed out in pain, tears pushing at the corners of his eyes when sharp points dug deeply into his shoulders. It _burned_ horribly and he wanted to scream. ‘ _What...what the fuck even...even is…_ ’ His thoughts were jumbled and slow, and he was quickly losing consciousness because of the creature.

A low, ferocious growl met his ears and he instinctively looked towards the sound. His eyes were blurry from tears, but through them, he saw two glowing points of red peering out from the dark. Yifan tried blinking away his tears, but even that hurt because of the weight on his back crushing him. ‘ _Is this….where I die…?’_ He found his mind flashing back to Xiūmin and the little fox he was supposed to be watching. How would his death affect that? How would his death affect _Xiūmin_? Damn, this whole entire situation was fucked and thinking about it made Yifan feel awful. 

He snapped his attention forward when he sensed movement coming from the woods. His dread and fear only worsened when the glowing red eyes he saw before were suddenly attached to a gigantic, black wolf. It would’ve easily stood as tall as him, teeth the size of his forearm and glare deadlier than any animal he’d ever seen. It looked like it could swallow him whole in one _bite_ and he wanted to cry. He was beyond terrified at this point, and every moment he took in a breath was nothing but pain.

Yifan gasped for breath when the creature on his back vanished, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to get his breathing under control. He coughed a few times, turning over onto his back. He groaned when his head started to throb, raising a hand to try and rub away the pain. He shakily tried to sit up, opening his eyes to see what happened to the wolf and creature.

“W..what..?” He rasped, body trembling and eyes glued onto the mess covering the grass near his home. He hadn't even seen the wolf _move_ , had hardly heard the creature make a single noise, but there they were. The creature--which looked like a cross between a wolf and a man--was lying dead on the ground, throat ripped out and guts strewn across the ground in a gross, wet mess. The wolf was standing over the body, muzzle matted with blood as its tongue licked over its teeth.

Its glowing red eyes were focused on him; sharp and assessing, with clear _intelligence_ behind them. Yifan felt a hysterical laugh bubble up and it spewed past his lips before he could stop it. Tears slid down his cheeks as his shaking grew more uncontrollable, gaze drawn to the bloody body on his front lawn. The blood looked almost black under the weak glow from his door lamp, and he felt his stomach churn at the sight. 

He wanted to vomit.

“Am I going to die now?” He croaked out, drawing his eyes back to the wolf. It cocked its head to the side, like it was confused by his question. He wanted to scream--the wolf could actually _understand_ him--but all he did was repeat his question. Again, the wolf seemed confused. Yifan sniffled and rubbed his eyes. 

It didn’t seem like the wolf wanted to eat him, so, there was that at least. ‘ _Small miracles_.’ He thought. After letting his body settle, and keeping his eyes away from the cooling corpse across from him, he attempted to get to his feet; hands shaking the entire time. The wolf only watched, silent but attentive, as Yifan slowly stood.

“...Thank you.” The wolf curled its lips up, revealing sharp white teeth, and an odd noise rumbled from its throat. Yifan frowned. Was it...laughing at him? He huffed.

“Rude.” He mumbled, looking towards the brown bags on the ground. His eggs and bread were no doubt ruined, and the other bag wasn’t looking any better, but he couldn’t just leave them there. Sighing, he bent down to try and pick them up, but he found himself tipping over completely and falling to his knees. 

“Oh.” His voice sounded faint, and as he looked at his hands, he found that they seemed far away and out of focus. 

He was still shaking.

“ _Oh_.” Yifan looked towards the wolf, jerking slightly when he found that the wolf had suddenly come closer. He didn’t even hear it move at all. Was he that out of it or was the wolf just that fast?

“I’m...alright?” He struggled to his feet again, knees knocking together and he nearly fell over for a second time. If it wasn’t for the wolf, who quickly moved to support his upper body. Its fur was soft, but the stench of blood and death surrounded it. It made his stomach roll, but he chose to ignore the smell as best he could. The wolf had not only saved him, but was also offering its help so he could make it back safely. It may have been crazy of him to rely on the wolf, but he was completely done with pretending that anything that happened to him now was normal. 

He was tired, scared, and hungry. All he wanted to do was make it to his bed and _sleep_. And if a gigantic ass wolf could make that happen faster, he would go along with it.

“Thank you. Again.” He whispered, a soft growl reaching his ears in response. His lips quirked up into a weak smile as the wolf helped him hobble towards his cabin.

**~~~~~~~**

Yifan blearily opened his eyes. Something had woken him up, but he couldn’t remember what it was…

He sat up with a scream when he saw two red eyes peer at him from his open bedroom door. Chest heaving, he stayed frozen as a huge black wolf slunk into his room. All of the events from last night came rushing back to him and he felt his heartbeat slow, though he still kept his eyes on the wolf.

“...Hi.” He whispered, flushing when that got him another wolfy-laugh. 

“Um, so….you can understand me..?” A nod, though judging by the look in the wolf’s eye, he was being judged _hard_ for asking that question.

“You’re not just a wolf, are you.” A pause before he received another nod, the wolf’s gaze sharper this time around. Yifan averted his eyes from the wolf, feeling unsettled by the bright sign of _awareness_ in the wolf’s red stare. It was weird, having an animal--a huge, scary, _dangerous_ animal--put its entire focus onto him like that. He felt...uncomfortably vulnerable, and it was starting to make him anxious. 

Yifan cleared his throat. He might’ve been awkward around people, but this was still a wolf, right? A more human-like-ish wolf, but a wolf nonetheless. He could interact with the wolf without being his usual, anxious self. He could. 

‘ _I’ve got this_ .’ He swallowed when the wolf turned its attention back to him. It had been calmly looking around his room before, but now the full force of its bloody gaze was on him. Squaring his shoulders, he opened his mouth to say something--he wasn’t quite sure what he would say, only that it would be _something_ \--when frantic knocking met his ears. 

The wolf perked up, head swiveling to stare out into the hallway. Its body was poised in a tense position, ears pulled back and teeth on display before it blinked and relaxed. The wolf turned back towards Yifan and jerked it’s muzzle towards his front door.

Yifan pursed his lips, but did as the wolf wanted, hissing when his feet hit the floor. His body was incredibly sore, and as he moved forward, he could feel the tiny stings of pain radiate from his shoulders and legs. Last night had been completely awful and he hoped that whoever was at the door wasn’t knocking because of that half man, half wolf corpse that was bound to be on his lawn still. 

He swung open his door, dread pooling in his stomach at having to face whoever was at his door, before he was tackled to the ground. A strangled shout left his lips as he fell to the floor, but he soon relaxed when he looked down and saw a familiar head of black hair.

“Minnie..? What’s-”

“Learn to answer your phone, Yifan! I’ve been calling for the past hour and you haven’t picked up! I was fucking worried.” Yifan snapped his mouth closed, instantly feeling guilty when he saw the raw panic in Xiūmin’s eyes. 

“I’m..I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just ghost you like that. Last night, something happened and it really...freaked me out. I was so scared and stressed that I must’ve passed out for way longer than I wanted to,” Xiūmin’s eyes narrowed, mouth pulling down into a frown as he scanned his eyes down Yifan’s body.

“Were you hurt? Did something attack you? Did you see what it was?” He was startled by the immediate change in tone, Xiūmin’s voice growing dark and cold as his eyes kept roaming over Yifan’s torso, hands gently patting down his sides and arms. When they brushed against the tops of his shoulders, he flinched. Xiūmin immediately honed in on his reaction and pressed more firmly around the area.

“S..stop it, that hurts-” 

“Let me see, Yifan.”

“No, it wasn’t even bleeding earlier. Seriously, it’s just a little sore.”

“I don’t care. _Let. Me. See_ .” Yifan gulped. Xiūmin’s voice had dropped to a low, almost growling tone. His pale blue eyes icy and hard. Clearly, he wasn’t getting out of being looked over. ‘ _He must’ve really been worried…_ ’ He sighed and motioned for Xiūmin to get off before turning around and taking off his shirt. The only other time Xiūmin had gotten like this was when Yifan had limped back to their dorm in college after being mugged at knifepoint by some random guy. He hadn’t been able to go out alone for an entire _month_ after that incident.

“I wasn’t physically maimed or anything. Maybe a little beat up, but as you can see, I’m fine-” He hissed out a pained breath when cold fingers pressed hard into the wounds on his shoulder.

“These look like puncture marks--like claw marks. Yifan, what exactly happened last night?”

“Well…” Yifan struggled to come up with something. He knew that Xiūmin would never laugh at him or call him crazy, but would he believe him if he told the truth? That some terrible hybrid of wolf and man had attacked him, and that he was saved by a huge wolf? ‘ _A huge wolf that is still in my bedroom._ ’ He tensed up when he realized but before he could do or say anything, another voice piped up.

“I saved him, actually. I’m surprised that you let him stay out here all alone, Xiūmin. It’s not like you to let yours stay unprotected.” Yifan snapped his eyes towards the man standing in the doorway of his hallway. He was dressed in a bright red suit and pointed black shoes; silver chains connecting his earrings to his lip ring and a silver wolf head ring adorning his right hand. His eyes were two different colors, the left pitch black and the right a pale blue. His hair was dark and slicked down, thought the ends managed to curl over his forehead.

“You..! But there was a wolf, not...you…” His voice trailed off weakly when the man flashed him glowing red eyes. ‘ _That solves that mystery, I guess? This guy was apparently the wolf from before. That, or maybe I’m actually going insane._ ’ Yifan thought, semi-hysterically as he tried to connect the finely dressed man to the gigantic wolf from before.

“Oh.” He snorted, the corner of his mouth curling up to reveal pointed teeth. 

“That’s all you have to say? Just _‘oh’_? I’ll admit, you’re one of the strangest humans I’ve met in a long while.” Yifan could only shrug, How was he supposed to respond to something like that?

“Chën? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Suhø dealing with the...others.” Yifan whipped around to stare at Xiūmin.

“You..you know him?!”

Xiūmin stared up at Yifan, face unreadable as he kept his cool fingers on his shoulders. Yifan felt like he was going to vibrate out of his skin if Xiūmin didn’t say _anything_ because two minutes ago, the man-- Chën--had been a wolf and now he was a _man_ and Xiūmin was acting like he knew him and nothing was making any sense anymore and all he wanted was some goddamned _answers_ because he was scared and it was like he didn’t even know his best friend now because apparently he already knew about stuff like huge wolves and wolf-men and there were _others_ \--

“Breath, Yifan. Okay? Just breathe with me now.” He gasped, blinking the spots out of his vision when he registered the calm voice calling out to him. Instead of being near the front door, his back was pressed up against the wall and Xiūmin was kneeling in front of him, clasping their hands together in a firm, almost too tight grip. He didn’t know where Chën was, but he could hear the light ‘crunch’ of leaves from outside his open door, so maybe he was out there somewhere?

“Yifan, _breathe._ ”

He blinked again and took in another breath, focusing on the ice-cold hands holding onto his own. Xiūmin had always had a lower body temperature than normal, something that Yifan had never questioned before. But now...was that lower body temperature because of something else? Were the ends of his hair white because he was some sort of creature too? Was the paleness of his skin and eerie way his eyes seemed to glow when upset something..more now?

Did he even know his supposed ‘best friend’ anymore?

“What...what is going on, Xiūmin. What are you? _Both_ of you?” He whispered, hand faintly trembling in Xiūmin’s hold when he finally got his breathing under control. Xiūmin thinned his lips, glancing away for a second before looking back to Yifan.

“I was hoping to explain this to you in a better way...last night was never supposed to happen to you. Here was supposed to be _safe_ . This was a sacred place, one where something as lowly as a _hybrid_ was never meant to enter.” Yifan could only stare at his closest and only friend helplessly. What did all of that even _mean_. 

“You’re confusing the poor boy even more, being all cryptic like that. I told you we should’ve just warped over here yesterday--it would’ve been so much easier to explain.” Xiūmin sighed, but moved away a little bit so that he wasn’t completely taking up Yifan’s field of vision anymore. What he saw made him want to _scream_ in frustration. There was yet another unfamiliar man standing in his living room, casually hanging off Chën’s arm.

“Baëkhyun...I thought I told you to stay in the car until I came to get you.” Yifan actually did scream a little at hearing the name, garnering the attention of all three men in his living room.

“Baëkhyun, as in the pet _fox_ you wanted me to watch?!” At Xiūmin’s nod, Yifan buried his face into his hands. His head was throbbing and all he wanted to do then was sleep away the nonsense. If Chën was a huge ass wolf, and Xiūmin was abnormally cold and clearly involved into whatever the fuck was going on, then that meant Baëkhyun was in the same boat. ‘ _Fuck my life. When I wanted to be around animals again, this is not what I wanted_.’ 

“...So what are you then. If...Chën is the wolf from before, and Minnie’s all... _cold_ and shit, then you must be something like that, right?” He mumbled, peeking up at Baëkhyun.

The first thing that caught his eye was the thin silver face chain cutting across the delicate bridge of his nose, white feathers hanging down from one side. His eyes were light blue and half hidden by his long, silvery-white fringe. He was dressed in a black leather suit, a black and white patterned turtleneck underneath. He didn’t have any shoes on, so Yifan could see the pointed black nails on his toes--matching the color on his fingers. ‘ _Another indicator that this guy isn’t normal at all._ ’

Baëkhyun smirked and pushed himself to stand on his own. The look was oddly cute on his face, even if his expression screamed _mischief_.

“Something like that...would you like to see?” Yifan bit into his cheek. There was an air around the question that made him actually think about what he wanted. It was innocent enough, playful with how Baëkhyun had phrased it. But there was an underlying edge to it that had Yifan unsure, that had him questioning if he _really_ wanted to experience more mindfuckery right after witnessing the gruesome shit he did last night

He glanced at Xiūmin, swallowing back a flinch when he found him already staring. His eyes were sharp, but not cold. Not like they had been before. Instead, they were filled with patience; simply waiting for him to decide how to move forward. Calming and steady, like Xiūmin had always been in his life. Yifan felt a little better, but still...he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do yet.

He looked towards Chën next, unsurprised to find his stare on himself. There was a laziness in his stance, a certain kind of indifference that showed he could care less about what Yifan would choose. But his _eyes_ \--they were the complete opposite. They were piercing, focused on him with an unnerving degree of intensity that almost made him look away. But he persisted, trying to find a hint of _something_ to help him decide. 

All he got in response was a flash of bright, glowing red. Red, like the color of the blood the hybrid had spilled last night. Red, like the color of Chën’s suit. Red, like the color of his eyes when he protected Yifan and helped him get to safety. Red meant protection. Red meant safety, security. He pursed his lips a bit. He could feel he was almost there, almost to a final conclusion but still...there was something _missing_.

He finally made eye contact with Baëkhyun, flushing a bit when he did. There was just something particularly attractive about Baëkhyun that made his heart race. Not saying that Chën and Xiūmin weren’t attractive, because they both were stupidly pretty, (Xiūmin was his best friend, but that didn’t mean he was at all _blind_ ) but there was something...more _alluring_ about Baëkhyun that made him want to instinctively shy away. The way his mouth curved into a smirk, the shiny-softness of his hair, the way the cut of his suit just _fit_ his body, the smooth, huskiness of his voice when he spoke--all of it was just so much that he wanted _more_ of it. ‘ _Maybe..it has something to do with his….otherness?’_

Whatever the case, Yifan found himself drawn into their orbit. There was a part of his mind that was curious, about not only what exactly they were, but how they all came to know each other and how close their relationship was. It was clearly friendly, but there were subtle hints of _something_ that he could just...feel. The way Xiūmin was clearly delighted by Chën and his appearance, the way Chën watched both Xiūmin and Baëkhyun like he hadn’t seen them in forever, the way Baëkhyun clung to Chën when they first walked in.

He wanted to know more about all of them. He knew, underneath the fear and anxiety and exhaustion, there was a burning curiosity these three men ignited in him. Yifan couldn’t explain it in words, he honestly barely understood it himself, but he just... _needed_ to know. He _had_ to know.

He just had to.

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind...I’d like to see.” He managed to get out, though he could only keep eye contact for a few seconds. Staring at Baëkhyun head on would only make him even more flustered than he already was.

“Excellent!” Baëkhyun laughed a little, lips pulled back to reveal pointed canines. Yifan felt his face heat up more, but before he could really process the warm feeling in his stomach, he noticed that something had grown on top of Baëkhyun’s head. Looking up, he realized that they were...ears. Silver, furry ears tipped in black. They resembled a fox’s ears, so that meant….

“A fox?” He mumbled, breath hitching when tails fanned out from Baëkhyun’s waist. They were huge, some falling to the floor while some stood up behind him. They were the same silver shade as his ears and just as fluffy-looking. The tips were black, like his ears, and there were nine of them in total. Yifan glanced over Baëkhyun’s face and noticed that his eyes were slitted like a fox and that there were thin silver streaks curving along his cheekbones.

“A nine-tailed fox, to be more specific.” He said with a grin, puffing up his tails more when he heard Yifan’s soft gasp.

“Oh..wow…” He breathed out, eyes drawn back to his tails. They were long and really, really fluffy looking. _‘I want to touch them. They look just as soft as his hair._ .’ He felt his fingers twitch with the need to _touch_ , but stopped himself when he heard Baëkhyun chuckle. Was he that obvious?

“They look super soft, hm? You wanna touch?” Baëkhyun reached back to stroke one of his tails, a fox-like grin on his face as he stared at Yifan. He found himself unconsciously nodding before he caught himself, averting his eyes to the floor when that got a laugh out of both Baëkhyun and Chën.

“Maybe later, Yifan,” He shivered at the way Chën said his name. There was a weird emphasis on his name that made his stomach twist into knots. Xiūmin had been silently watching them talk, but now he spoke up.

“You wanted answers, right?” Yifan nodded, turning his head to face Xiūmin.

“Yes, I..I want to know everything. Why that thing attacked me, why Chën turned into a wolf, how you all know each other, what _you_ are, how Baëkhyun is a nine-tailed fox, what mmff-” Yifan pouted a bit when Xiūmin slipped his hand over his mouth, cutting off the flow of his questions. Xiūmin only looked amused and ignored the pout.

“I get it. Let’s get somewhere more comfortable? And maybe get you something to eat. You’re looking a little pale, FanFan.” There was a bit of worry in his voice as he looked over Yifan with a critical eye. He wanted to put up a bit of a protest, but he found his resolve weakened when he realized what Xiūmin had called him.

“Okay…” Xiūmin grinned a little.

“Good boy. Now c’mon, lemme make you something to eat.” Yifan flushed as the endearment, feeling the eyes of Chën and Baëkhyun as Xiūmin led him to his kitchen table. He knew that he had somehow chosen the right thing, asking to see more. It wasn’t a concrete feeling, but the panic he had been feeling before was gone now. In its place was a nervous sort of excitement, one that he knew wouldn’t be leaving until he managed to satisfy the curiosity eating away at his mind.

‘ _For now, let’s focus on eating. My brain doesn’t work so well when my stomach’s empty._ ’ He plopped himself onto the countertop, ignoring Xiūmin’s look as he watched Chën and Baëkhyun take their own seats at the small kitchen table he had. They were quietly talking amongst themselves, heads bent together and fingers touching. It was an intimate moment and Yifan felt like he was intruding, so he turned his attention towards Xiūmin. Again, he wasn’t entirely sure what his friend’s role in all of this was, but he knew that he could trust Xiūmin with his life. That was his ride or die, his best friend, his only family ever since his grandfather died a few years back. 

‘ _Whatever his role in this, I know that I’ll be involved. Minnie is way too important for me to give up so easily, even if it comes with some….complicated baggage._ ’ He glanced at the two at the table, looking away when he caught both of them looking at him. He could feel his face heat and he cursed his easy habit of blushing.

‘ _Especially if that complicated baggage involves a huge wolf and nine-tailed fox._ ’ He fiddled with the tips of his fingers, leaning his head against the cabinet as he let the sound of Xiūmin cooking lull him into a light doze. Yifan was ready for whatever came at him next, and since they had already decided about giving out answers, he felt it was okay if he gave himself a little more rest until Xiūmin got done.

‘ _It’s...perfectly fine…_ ’ He thought to himself before his thoughts drifted away into nothingness and he fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Man, thank you those who stuck by until the end ! This was such a tough one to finish and I had a hard time tryna figure this one out (and sorry the prompt wasn't included as much, I got carried away while i was writing, I still hope whoever prompted this likes this ;;;;;) but while I'm not entirely proud of this, I hope it was an interesting enough taste !


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